Wäture III
Wäture III (also known as Wäture Verus) is an Imperial Shrine World located on the frontier-east of the Ultima Segmentum. Furiously faithful to the Imperial Creed, the governance of the planet has maintained strong bonds with the Ecclesiarchy and simultaneous great conflict with the Mechanicus. Its drastic change from its backwater origins to the more recent resurgence in influence is claimed by many a Wäture III native to be but the work of the God-Emperor of Mankind; as well as knowing the right of His servants at the right time. Geography Almost the entirety of Wäture Verus' surface is submerged in its oceans. Lacking ice caps on its polar regions, it is believed the planet was sabotaged long ago by foul xenos or heretical traitors by the locals living on its scant landmasses. Why or how such an external threat would do such is largely unknown. Of such few landmasses, there is little that can be said. There are three such continents, but it is believed there were once three more in Wäture Verus' ancient history. Most of the world's inhabitants live close to the shrine that makes its capital, which sits near a great lake of clean water. Unauthorized people are forbidden to live there, but all are allowed to make a great pilgrimage to seek the Shrine of the Rose Cloak and pray for healing and clarity from the God-Emperor through their Saint Redacted and her Chosen Vassal. History Foundation: A Defiant Night The foundation of the Imperial colony began sometime in the mid 40th Millennium. Discovered by Rogue Trader House Redacted, Segmentum command issued the planet, as well as its surrounding sub-sector, to be colonized by any willing Imperial citizens- with the understanding that the planets were already inhabited by multiple hostile xenos races, such as the Redacted- as well as a previously unknown group of humans that had never before seen contact with the Imperium; deemed too heretical to be integrated into the great Imperium of all of Mankind for their vile collaboration with xenos. Such a crusade, led by the Cadian 101st, saw the First Miracle of an Imperial Saint by the name of Redacted on Wäture III's only moon, whom before her ascension served a simple non-combatant role as the former Captain's assistant. Imperial forces attempted to claim the planet itself, but had to make a last-gambit landing onto the moon after mysterious solar winds scattered their landing ships, and a shadowy xenos force came in to wipe them off. The Captain led the almost hopeless defensive line that kept the xenos from disabling their already severely damaged communicae devices and space vessels, and would take a bolt of venomous xenos-tech wedged into his head for his troubles. After his death, his company's morale was severely crippled as the Redacted continued to draw closer and closer in utterly destroying what little hope they had in surviving the next night. And yet surprised by all, the Imperial forces did just that. But the Imperials would not just survive that night; holding their lines for weeks, which then turned to months, the woman formerly known as Redacted led the defense of wave after wave of the xenos onslaught. It was said that she was even able to heal the wounds of the injured, laying hands on their grievous of injuries and calling onto them to fight on, which her guardsmen did reverently. The Cadian commander sent what little forces he could spare in assisting the abandoned company and militiamen. On the 85th day the planet was cleansed of xenos, and the crusading force would move on to conquer the planet below them; under the banner of the Hero of Corrun. For on the day her Captain fell, she received a vision. A vision of Humanity. What she saw was not merely the victorious outcome of the Imperium's conquest of the previously unknown Sub-Sector; nor did she even see whether her men would survive the next day. What she saw was the people of Wäture III united, seated in audience to the great Emperor of Mankind. Now, she merely had the tools to see that vision through. The conquest of Wäture III was not a peaceful one. Its people did not merely kneel before the Hero of Corrun upon her arrival. It took a vicious crusade, and would be the first time its people would have seen lasgun technology used as it was in the Imperial Guard. The people eventually did surrender to Imperial might; but only because there was but a fourth of them left to do so. Upon seeing them kneeling under the Aquila, the Hero of Corrun was pleased; and left to do the same work she had done upon the many other worlds of the sub-sector, now named Dystia after her fallen husband. The Imperial Saint was not entirely unsympathetic to the people of Wäture III; she knew full well the extent of harm she had to deliver unto them so that they could then see the glory of the Emperor. But for Him, there is no measure too cruel. The Day Ahead Despite many Imperial records claiming otherwise, there are no veritable records indicating that the people of Wäture III (Renamed Wäture Verus after Wäture I II and IV were deemed, to the Imperium's dismay, unfit for colonization) fully accepted the Imperial Creed. The incomplete acceptance of the Imperial Creed is normally, surprisingly- ''completely acceptable however. Due to their classification as a feral world due in self to the vast technological gap between them and the average Imperial world (if there even is such a thing as an "average" Imperial world) ''and their additional classification as a Frontier world due to their only recent inclusion into the Imperium's fold; worlds such as Wäture Verus are given plenty of leeway in their exact interpretation of the Lectio Divinitatus , and even the Emperor himself- granted he's viewed and revered as a "god". Where some worlds may see him as a Warrior-King, others may view him as a supernatural force behind the wind itself. Yet even so, Imperial Cardinals and Bishops feared that this leeway directed towards the people of Wäture Verus was, perhaps, too much. The first contact with its people were rather hostile for a people worthy of the Emperor's watch- and yet they dare still speak of Him as though he is a thing that commonly feasts with their ancestors? The more puritan of Imperial colonials on Wäture Verus shared these views as well. After all, it couldn't merely be coincidence that a massive solar storm spread thin their vessels, right before terrible xenos attacked them at their most vulnerable time. It also wasn't exactly costly in conquering them. Timely sure, but that was simply time waiting for them to surrender. Nothing was ever said out in the open; especially while the Hero of Corrun was in attendance; even after the war, to her the planet's people were all people of the Emperor. Yet even so, there were times when a Cardinal would speak privately to his Bishops about the, hypothetical, extermination of the native Wäture peoples. Included in these; again stressed, "hypothetical"; conversations would be the logistics in such a maneuver, what allies these "ferals" would have, the most noblest of excuses, etc. After all, perhaps these closet-heretics would act a little too hostile in one of their visits; surely, that is excuse enough to bring people of arms to their defense against the savages. Back on Wäture however, there weren't simply "scholarly discussions" about this incredible debate on the value of human life; if some could even speak them as "human", that is. Despite the native Wäturians' acceptance of Imperial faith (even if on paper only), the colonial Wäturians would constantly be in conflict with them. Their customs were simply too alien for them; they may not be like the stories of the fear-inspiring people of Carodos, but they were savages nonetheless. Some groups of colonists would even launch small crusades against the native settlements, killing in the name of the True God-Emperor. Such crusades attracted many a counter however. With the introduction of the outside Imperium came an upgrade on the demonstration of warfare. Settlements of both old and new were destroyed in these wars; countless dead on both sides. These crusades were, however, not entirely common. At this point, it was almost two centuries after the conquest of Wäture Verus. The original militiamen and their families had long ago fallen to the same dust as the first Wäturians to witness the Imperium; and while the later was devastated by its introduction to that particular Glorious Rule, the former had slowly been killed off by the simple unpreparedness of living on a foreign planet- made up almost entirely by a toxic water. The people of Wäture at this point were, simply, tired of fighting one another. Many a Wäturian didn't even know what side to fight on; being able to claim both side as their lineage. The only ones fighting now were the more ancient of either side, clinging on to their old ways desperately, as something new had begun to form. Something of both. Under the Cloak of Roses After a full three centuries of original contact upon Wäture, things were once again beginning to change. Despite Wäturians of both foreign and native blood were becoming increasingly common- or perhaps because of it- the more hostile groups of native Wäture and the more puritan of her colonials were understanding more and more that the other side can tip the balance over control of the world if they attract this middle group to their side. The colonial mindset was that if this were to happen, the "Loyal Imperial" would be wiped off, and Wäture would be the platform of a great Heresy that would doom Dystia a disastrous death. To the minds of the natives, their way of life would be burned down just as their ancestors were centuries ago, and their descendants would "dance with demons upon what remained of their forgotten bones". Neither one could let these prophetic catastrophes from happening, and so increased regulations of what few followers they still had. Some of the native people even went back to their faiths of old, and began praying to their gods for deliverance upon their once glorious world's temporary occupiers. Caught in the middle of two incredibly zealous and ancient foes were the colonials simply doing the best for their families, natives that had already accepted Imperial Creed as their lone faith, and many a misguided soul deciding for themselves which side was the lesser evil. Yet that evil was what polluted the planet like a putrid poison; the unbridled fury unleashed by unrelenting adversaries unable to move on from an already faded war. And without anything different from happening, it was seen that this very poison would destroy Wäture; even more than its flood of old. It was during this time when a simple fisherman by the name of John Diegus would find himself on the fateful Lake Attzeyac, a once-holy site in the planet's pre-Imperial history in a long-forgotten religion, and look upon its waters to see none other than the visage of Euphrati Keeler, the First Saint. Falling to his knees upon seeing her, the Saint commanded of the native Wäturian to rise forth, and listen. And so he did. The fisherman would listen to the flow of the waters, the subtle whistle sound made as the wind past through the twin peaks in the distance, the cries of the avelat babes pleading for their mothers to bring them their meal; the hymns that the very planet sung. At that very moment, Wäture's lone moon began to make its way to the lit sky. Its orbit continued its already fated path; and at its highest place, the moon ate the sun. All was cast in shadow. The very heart of John Diegus beat faster and faster, until it drowned out all other sounds he once heard. And, just as slowly as it began, it had ended. The Wäture star once again peaked out of the otherwise insignificant celestial object. In reality, the star in its many magnitudes is much more massive than the planet's moon. However, it's the perspective of the viewer on the ground that makes that small moon seem so incredible a threat to the neigh-immortal star. John Diegus knew now his mission. The fisher would begin preaching his vision to the people of his local community, telling unto them the message Euphrati Keeler spoke to him in turn. Included in these crowds was the Missionary Priest Jon Zummirson, a man considered by Diegus to be a friend. These visits, however, were anything but friendly. Although the Priest and the fisher were close, Zummirson did everything in his power to dispute the claims of Diegus. For the fisher was not the first outstanding Imperial citizen to claim seeing a Saint of great importance. Many a Wäturian had sailed the mighty Lake Attzeyac and claimed seeing outrageous and, at some times, even heretical sights. What worried Zummirson was that this lake might be the biggest danger to Wäture; a false hallucination twisting the minds of mere mortal men and women, wandering its watery might. He feared seeing his friend lost to this madness; but moreover, seeing his friend lose the whole planet to a new watery grave. Yet Diegus constantly denied Zummirson's claims that his expedition was a falsehood. The Priest then gave him three trials to "prove" his claims. The first was to ask "Euphrati" the events of her life. Having returned with the recount of Euphrati's history; even including some verses not commonly known to common Imperials, the Priest then gave him his next task in asking her the upcoming weather patterns; something not too difficult for a woman famed for her powers of precognition. Once again, Diegus returned, claiming a flood was coming in a specific region of the planet. This claim was outright mocked, as these coordinates were of higher elevation than its surrounding area, not to mention this was this hemisphere of the planet's dry period. But yet once again Diegus delivered, as the very pipes below the grounds burst, causing a great wave of sewage water spewing forth, severely damaging the surrounding infrastructure. At this point, Diegus' otherwise small group of followers grew exponentially. Zummirson saw this, and began to panic. Never before in his missionary work had he ever seen anything like this. But he knew what events like this inspire. Saint-cults. Time after time in Imperial history, many a planet had fallen from its worship of the Emperor to the outright idle worship of mere men. Jon Zummirson would have none of this. For John Diegus' last and final trial, he would be demanded in bringing him one single item- a flower. Although this may seem quite a simple task, on the western coastline of Lake Attzeyac, it is anything but. The flowers that grow there are cursed to be the most beautiful in the sub-sector, but also lethal if one so much as lays a finger on it. Jon Zummirson's reasoning was that Saint Euphrati, if she really did come to Diegus on the lake, would come to his aid near-death, and give him life once more. Yet on that most foggiest of days, Diegus was far from the beaches, as his uncle was on the verge of death himself. As fate so cruelly had it, his uncle lived in the very region Euphrati allegedly predicted the coming flood, and the sickly water got into his system. Due to his "refusal" in accepting the trial, Zummirson decreed his former friend to be nothing but a lying heretic. And so, gathering the local PDF forces, the Missionary decreed his fallen friend be apprehended, and must be made an example of by burning. However, as they breached the home of his uncle's residence, they found neither the heretic nor his family. Believing them to have run out of town, Zummirson instead considered it fit to destroy the twin peaks overlooking the heretical lake instead, believing it to be the source of the madness. Zummirson led his sizable retinue and their considerable ordinance of Las-weaponry to the lake, constantly singing litanies of clarity to guide his men through this filthy fog and into the den of sin, knowing full well that there would be resistance from the more heretical of Wäturians whom considered this lake a holy site, either reverting back to their faith of old, or turned by the great heretic he once called a friend. But when they had arrived their deadly destination, they were stunned to see within the crowd of Wäturian the uncle of the heretic, already recovered from his severe sickness; and John Diegus himself, shrouded in a cloak made up entirely out of the fatal flowers tasked of him. Many a PDF simply knelt on the spot seeing such a miracle, while others believed this was yet more trickery. Jon Zummirson however, the only one among his loyal retinue with knowledge of the warp, knew of a much darker alternative this could have been. Chain-sword in hand, the Missionary charged the heretic, shoving the many allies blocking his righteous path. Repeating litanies of perseverance, Jon managed to bring his holy weapon lethally close to John's head, before the Wäture sun sheared through the thick fog, blinding the charging Priest momentarily. Such an opening gave Diegus the opportunity to place the poisonous peddles of the putrid plant on Zummirson's forehead, finishing the litany of the belligerent Brother. Expecting himself to simply die on the spot, instead the Priest froze; stiffened by a sudden burst of faith. With a tear in his eye, Zummirson called off the attack. For there was no heretic to burn that day; there was only a new Saint. Scouring of Faith: The New Church In the decades that followed the Apparitions of Euphrati, a new sect of Imperial faith emerged; one that combined the Lectio Divinitatus with many of the animistic faiths native to Wäture more strongly than it had been in the past. This faith saw a whole wave of Wäturians coming once more to the Church of the Emperor; something that previously most native Wäturian simply didn't do. Imperial faith once again was brought back to the planet slowly losing its faith. Yet the Waring groups of old did not simply disappear. Neither extreme side of Wäture culture appreciated this new Church. To the puritans known to themselves as the "True Imperials Must Emerge" this was, despite the decree of Zummirson, a heretical corruption of true Imperial faith. Calling this John Diegus a "saint" for saying the Holy Euphrati of Keeler spoke unto him through the wild nature-spirits of Lake Attzeyac was even more heretical. To the secretive coalition of "Native-Only Wäture" it was seen much the same, a corruption of a once-noble Wäture culture, now seen as traitors to their "own kind." Nevertheless, in Wäture's fourth century of Imperial rule, this Church became the official capital of the entirety of the planet. Classifying themselves as a Shrine World, Wäture Verus became somewhat more unified as a people; if by faith only. The TIME and NOW continue operations to this day, but through the shadows. TIME continues to spread influence through the more corrupt of PDF, and NOW cooperates with many a sinister underground cult, of chaos or worse; all ready to cripple the Aquila of Man. However, despite this establishment of Wäture Verus as a Shrine World and the tiring procedure to canonize its purpose in the eyes of the Ecclesiarchy, the planet remained incredibly unremarkable. Its twin miracles were at this time mere folk lore, and not well known outside of even its neighboring stars. Although falling under the authority of the Adeptus Ministorum, Wäture lacked its backing; and all that was known of the planet was that it was damp, and clung to its own traditions with religious fervor. Clashing of Faith So Came the Mechanicus In the later days of the mid 40th millennium, a sizable fleet of Adeptus Mechanicus materialized from their voyage through the warp in their intent to colonize various unclaimed planets to place their forges and research posts in the name of their Omnissiah. To the many planetary governors of Dystia, it was well-known of the advantages having a neighboring forge world would bring. Having the right relationships with the right Tech Priests allows a world the many benefits of trade from the only individuals with the unparalleled knowledge of the machine in the entirety of the Imperium of Mankind- if not the galaxy itself. While every planet is expected at some level to manufacture and maintain their own technology, with some worlds even having noticeably high capacity in that regard; none come close to the machinations of the followers of the Machine Cult, with every piece of machinery being an offering to the Omnissiah. A governor would have to be a fool to refuse any sort of relationship with the Adepts of Mars if it came with the benefits assumed by it; and Carlos Rook was nothing if not eager to advance his own influence. Inviting the Mechanicus into Wäture space, a small retinue of diplomats from the expedition of the trinity stars of Vorry, Vente, and Vithori accepted after some time of silence on the Mechanicus' part. Being graciously guided by Rook's personal staff, the AdMech retinue were given a brief tour of the points of (if only relative) interest on Wäture Verus' surface before they would depart and cartograph Wäture's other celestial bodies to see if they held any merit in consideration for the Mechanicus' needs. Preaching Peace for Profit Something lacking noticeably throughout the visit were the mobs typical of most shrine worlds protesting the mere presence of the mysterious followers of the detestably-heretical cult of Mars. The reason such mobs occur is that, to the more puritan of the God-Emperor's followers, the so-called "Omnissiah", and the prayer to thereof, is considered considerably different to that of their most Holy Ruler of All Mankind. And if there is one thing both the enemies and the allies of the Adeptus Terra can agree on, it is that "tolerance of other things" is something noticeably lacking particularly in the Ecclesiarchy; which is just highlighted how much so when it comes even from the many other branches of the Imperium, known themselves for similar quirks. This noticeable lack of conflict was due in thanks of, surprisingly, not that of violence from that of the governor's PDF, for so much as voicing something so ludicrous as "personal opinions" that counter those of his own; but the actions of that of the Planetary Bishop Noh Young. After great behest by Rook, Noh Young shifted focus in his preachings to his masses towards a somewhat more understanding light of the particular Adeptus. Young set forth teaching his flock that the followers of the Machine Cult were as much similar to their own faith as, say, they were to Thorians; if not even more so. Using many a stretched story from the Lectio Divinitatus, he especially focused on the Mechanicum's visitation by the Emperor, and the "undeniable loyalty they unanimously agreed to Him in His holy light that remains to this day"; and the similarities such an event had with their own people, as they "unflinchingly" had done the same. The fact may not have been as close to the truth as Young was comfortable with; yet nonetheless, he knew full well the importance that this potential deal was for the betterment of his people; and the rashness they were typical of being prone to otherwise. The accomplishment of this sheer herculean task was only possible due to Young's own charismatic presence in Wäturian culture. What more, Young differed from most other Bishops in his planetary Church's history in that he was ready in learning of the knowledge of other Imperial Cults throughout His most Holy Empire. Believing his Church to have been founded by the merging of many differing faiths throughout the Imperium, Young hoped to eventually share that faith of his own world to others, and learn the lessons of what other faiths had to teach him. His belief was that in doing so, Humanity can only then fully rid itself of the heresies born during the Dark Age of Technology and beyond; the kind of misled faiths born even on Wäture Verus itself. And among this variety of religions devoted unto the shared Emperor, Young believed the one birthed on Mars would bring great joy as it was introduced into the system. He was mistaken. Blunt Tools As a man of great importance to Wäture Verus, Noh Young accompanied the off-world ambassadors alongside the welcoming party, present to answer any questions they may have. However, despite having a warm smile to great them, the mechanical diplomats maintained their cold visage for the duration of their visit, and the equally cold attitude to match it. They would voice their displeasure at the planet's rudimentary infrastructure and overall lack of maintenance with what little technology they possessed, saying that the Machine Spirits on the world must be as dour as the people surely mourning their own lack of efficiency. It seemed as though at every event the welcoming party brought them to, they had something to complain about. The springs of Corrun's wrath were too humid for their mechanical equipment. The roses thrown to them by the crowds were too fragile to be properly examined later on by the Divisio Biologis. The plays put on by the Theotrica would've been much more enjoyable had the actors been converted into servitors. Complaint after complaint, Young's patience for the Mechanicus became weathered more and more; yet every time, he reminded himself that these diplomats' quirks ''were surely not a representation of their entire faction. The tour was ended upon the viewing of the holy artifact of the Cloak of Roses, that which John Diegus himself both crafted and wore despite the flowers' known poisonous properties. Such a miraculous article was kept in display within the Capital-Cathedral overlooking the holy waters; a mere forty kilometers away from its historical location. Young banked on this last stop to impress the planet's Technocratic visitors. The fine weaving of flowers comparable to their prestige manufactora of tools, the miraculous event unexplainable with mere logic ''proven possible by their God-Emperor; just the simple sweet aura that this artifact exhumed would most certainly shake even the steely Priests of Mars. This was not so. The cold lead-diplomat examined the robe for quite some time; to the silent thrill of Young at first, and to his silent horror when the diplomat opened its presumed locked container and grabbed the holy artifact with his mechanical mechadendrite in observation. Once satisfied, the tech priest let free his grasp, and once again closed its housing. Turning to Noh Young, he uttered the singular and simple word, "Mutation". When asked to clarify his plucky ravings, the tech priest explained unto Young that the flowers that his John Diegus picked were not synonymous to the species of rose that their populous wrongly believed was the identity of. Watarosa stagnantibus, the species of flower the roses were believed to derive from, clearly mutated in some time before Diegus' visit, where its toxic properties were muted to such a degree that they were able to be both picked and weaved, and due to Diegus' meddling, drove to extinction. It's possible that the clearing of Zummirson's mind and that of subsequent pilgrims was the action of the flowers', alleged, pleasant smell and their already incoherent states of mind. It is even possible that they fell prey to some sort of yet-unidentified mind-altering effect of the flower; which would explain much of the planet at large. The simplicity of the Tech Priest's first word was matched by Young's when he demanded the diplomatic team to leave, which they heeded in disinterest to whatever else the Bishop could've offered them. Rook, having secured a deal permitting the Mechanicus to settle Wäture II to set up a forge world (itself impossible without considerable technological means) in exchange for trading agreements that were of some benefit to their world, asked Young to give a sermon in honor of the AdMech arrival; one that would be broadcasted for all of the sector to hear, a feat possible thanks to a rather generous gift the AdMech fleet granted them in an effort to see the planet industrialize. The sermon Noh Young had to give was not one Rook was hoping for; nor was it one he nor anyone in the sector were expecting. The now-infamous sermon dubbed, ironically, "Unity in Faith", called out the Mechanicus for their separate faith in their "Omnissiah"; and, somewhat indirectly, declared the entirety of the organization heretics. The world of Wäture II would shortly be called off for colonization, the Mechanicus deciding that they were now incapable of honoring their contract with Wäture III. Quotes By Wäture Verus About Wäture Verus Category:Adeptus Ministorum Category:Imperial Planets Category:Imperium Category:Planets Category:Shrine Worlds